AC out - tank advice?

[Kristy]

Hi all... minor emergency going on here!

Our home AC system has been OUT going on about 24 hours now (geez, after only 17+ years of use, it couldn't handle this triple digit summer!). We have a new AC system being installed first thing in the morning and have been assured that we should be nice and cool by this time tomorrow.

I've been keeping a very close eye on temps in the tank, checking them religiously at 30 minute intervals. We cut the all lights yesterday around 5pm and plan to keep them off until tomorrow mid-day, which will be a total of about 36 - 40 hours of no light. Our tanks have quite a few corals in them, but only a handful of them are SPS (which I know to be the most temp-sensitive). So far both tanks are holding steady at about 81 degrees with open doors and fans blowing across water surfaces, etc.

I have about 8 frozen 1-liter water bottles at the ready to throw in the sump of the 210g tank (alternating 1 or 2 at a time as needed) if / when the temp swings above 82 degrees. Also have lots of small ice packs for the small tank, which I have started using occasionally as it creeps up to 82, then goes back to 81 when I throw an ice pack in there.

Our tanks typically hover around 78 -80 in "normal" conditions. Both are at 81 at the moment and have been all day. House temp is usually in the 70s but today is hitting 90! No chiller on either tank, by the way.

Is there anything we are missing? Any tips or advice from those of you who've lived through this? Anything that looks problematic to you?

Thanks for reading, commenting!

[recoiljpr]

Only thing I can think to add that your not already doing is a two-edged sword. Extraneous pumps/powerheads add a lot of heat to a tank. I'd turn off any calcium reactors, phosphate reactors, etc.

As temperatures rise, O2 saturation goes down and pumps/powerheads help with that (If you have any external pumps/powerheads, those shouldn't add much heat). If temps start going too wild, turn off all powerheads but absolutely necessary ones and add an air pump(s) with the stones towards the bottom of the tank. That will help with water movement and gas exchange without adding any additional heat.

[Big_Pun]

sounds like your covered. on a seperate note are you just replacing the outside unit, if the inside is just as old might be a good time to replace it or atleast make sure the coils inside are clean, just so you don't run into this again, my dad has been doin hvac for 15 years and most time when you replace only one unit when they are both real old the other kicks the bucket soon

[Kristy]

Only thing I can think to add that your not already doing is a two-edged sword. Extraneous pumps/powerheads add a lot of heat to a tank. I'd turn off any calcium reactors, phosphate reactors, etc. QUOTE]

Thanks for that tip, recoil... had not even thought about turning off equipment. There are definitely some things that we could turn off for a day or so.

[QUOTE=stangchris;694284]sounds like your covered. on a seperate note are you just replacing the outside unit, if the inside is just as old might be a good time to replace it or atleast make sure the coils inside are clean, just so you don't run into this again, my dad has been doin hvac for 15 years and most time when you replace only one unit when they are both real old the other kicks the bucket soon

Oh yeah, at 17+ years old, we have been expecting this one for the last couple of years. We are definitely replacing the whole thing. Appreciate the feedback.

[carlinsa]

if you worry of heat add a fan to the big tank and leave the doors on the bottom of the stand open an the copny. i have left the doors off the stand an put a small fan on my 215 now the tank doesnt evan break 78. fans an leaving doors an canopys open will make a world of difference.

[Kristy]

Thanks for the reply Carl. Doors and canopy have been open for 24 hours with the three clip on fans that we always have blowing across them plus a couple of additional fans positioned in the room. I'm amazed that the big tank (210g) is holding steady at 81! I really thought that I'd be using those frozen water bottles by now.

Just added another frozen ice pack to the small tank, as it had hit 82 again.

Will keep you guys posted.

[carlinsa]

big tank shoudnt be to hard to keep. if you have a LArge box fan set that puppy on HIGH and angle it in the bottom and the big one will be fine with no worries. move one of your small fans to the nano and maybe turn off your pump and leave you vortech on as your only source of power with the lights off and the nano should be good. just my little bit of advice.

[Gseclipse02]

i have a chiller you can borrow if need be just shoot me a pm with your number.... im not sure if its big enough (1/3hp ) but your more then welcomed to use it

[Kristy]

i have a chiller you can borrow if need be just shoot me a pm with your number.... im not sure if its big enough (1/3hp ) but your more then welcomed to use it

Wow... awesome! How about if we exchange numbers just in case? So far it's looking good without one, but I would love to have your number in case things take a turn. Sending pm...

[Bill S]

Kristy, your corals should be just fine. Remember, in the wild, they sometimes go days without sunshine.

Pumps that move surface water are the most important. External pumps won't add much (as much) heat to the water - they will heat up your house though!

[Kristy]

Appreciate the feedback Bill! I was not planning to cut the powerheads / pumps, mostly because our powerheads are Vortechs, so the motor and heat source are outside the water, so less of an issue than it would be for most. One more reason to be glad we bought the Vortechs!

[wesheltonj]

I had this problem about a month ago. Borrowed a chiller. As the house temp climbs so will the tank, no matter how many ice packs, blocks of ice, etc you drop in. I dropped in a lot, too much water volume to make a difference.

[Kristy]

UPDATE:
Well, we officially have AC again and the temp in the house is getting cooler by the second.

I am astonished to report that temp in the tanks never became an issue. The small tank crept up to 82 and then dropped back down to 81 with an ice pack in there, which we only had to do about five times over the nearly 48 hours of miserable heat. I had a plan in place for the big tank that was to go into action at 82 degrees, but it never did hit 82, only got as high as 81.5 a couple of times and mostly just stayed at 81.

We had three small clip-on fans blowing across the surface of the water (that we use every day) and also two larger fans pointing toward the open doors / open top. I guess that's what kept the temps in check.

Thanks so much for the advice, support, and well wishes from everyone and particularly the offer of a chiller from JT (gseclipse). Gotta love MAAST as a community of support! :bighug:

[Bill S]

Great to hear. See folks, it CAN be done! On one of the hottest weeks of the year.

Kristy, when y'all get a chance, it would be cool if you wrote up a list of everything you did for thiis process. Maybe then we can post it as a "Sticky" on the Emergency Forum.

[sampsonndelila]

My tank will get to 83 on a normal day with the halides on, Its probably fine. sounds like your doing all the right things.

[Mr Cob]

Kristy and Mike, glad to see this wasn't a disaster. I'm sure the vortechs helped...

[Markster]

I had this happen on a Saturday a few weeks back. The house got up to 89 and 90 before getting the outside unit replaced Monday afternoon. My 75g reef was creeping up to 82, 83, then 84 before I could do anything about it. Used ice in the sump and it cooled nicely. Did that for a day and it held.

[Sherri]

Kristy...glad to hear all is well...this happened to us earlier this year. Got up to 91 in the house - seems as tho it always happens on Friday or Saturday...ice packs and ice helped us...never got past 82 on us...

[JimD]

I have a spare 12000 btu window unit in storage and a generator to run it just for these wonderful occasions... Learned that lesson a long time ago!